1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of therapeutic devices, and more specifically to a therapeutic device in the form of a therapeutic pillow system that provides spinal support to assist users, such as travelers, commuters and athletes, in the prevention of neck and back related injuries, and that provides comfort to individuals with neck and back pain in a clinical setting under the supervision or recommendation of a doctor. The present invention also relates to a method of providing spinal support.
2. Background Information
It is well established that avid commuters and worldwide travelers often find themselves having to deal with the uncomfortable confines of public transportation such as planes, trains, buses and even some cars. It is also well established that a lack of proper neck and low back support when traveling, performing manual labor, daily tasks or participating in impact sports can contribute heavily to the development of neck and lower back problems.
While the preexisting knowledge of the need to maintain appropriate and sufficient support of the neck and lower back exists, often individuals are either uneducated or do not have the appropriate resources to obtain and use devices that assist in combating these all too common problems. There is also a lack of adequate information available to these individuals on how to combat their lower back and neck pain.
There are numerous neck pillow and back support devices on the market geared towards accommodating commuters and travelers so that they are able to sleep and/or rest conveniently while en route to their final destinations at a given time. However, these devices often fall short in that they are not successfully designed to assist in ridding individuals of lower back pain and even neck pain. Most devices on the market are too thin or lack sufficient padding to provide the essential comfort and support the neck and lower back truly needs to remain healthy and pain free. Such devices are also not ergonomically designed to conform to the natural curvature of the human spine while allowing for full range of motion of the entire spine. Additionally, such devices are one-dimensional and fail to provide the necessary support to be more versatile and benefit other consumers aside from the average traveler. Some of these other consumers include working individuals, athletes and routine sufferers of neck and lower back pain.
As a result of the foregoing problems with preventing lower back and neck pain and resulting injuries, a therapeutic device and a method of spinal support are desired that will aid in providing sufficient and comfortable support to the neck and back of a user while in a seated, laying down or standing position, while participating in sports activities, or while in a clinical setting under the supervision or recommendation of a doctor to provide comfort to the user with existing neck and back pain.